Pt 3 - Surgery!

So finally my pre orthodontics were nearly complete and it was time to book a date for surgery. We decided on May 12 2014 and my mum and dad would be coming with me to help me in the recovery process.

You really need someone to help you out for a week or so as you pretty much become pretty useless at doing nearly everything! (more on that later!)

Before surgery your orthodontist may need to bond up some kind of wire with surgical hooks to help facilitate the surgeon to adjust the bite post surgery with elastic bands. I did mine with Dr How in Bangsar and we were then ready to go.

As surgery gets closer it can get more and more daunting and it is important to stay focused on the end result. It is important to read about what happens when you wake up from surgery but reading too much of this just before your surgery isn't very helpful! Think positive and go about your daily routine and keep in touch with your close friends which certainly helps!

There are a couple of things you need to prepare prior to surgery.

•  Loose t shirts, singlets are ideal since they don't touch your face!
• A baby tooth brush...Kodomo Lion, Kiki Lala, anything! You will need one after you are discharged as they recommend you start brushing immediately to ensure food in your mouth doesn't cause infection. Cleaning is a very difficult process and I still am not sure I am doing it right but slow and steady I will get there!
• A blender! So important that we forgot to bring it! Once you are out and if you are lucky and you are not wired shut, you will be able to slurp very pureed foods like pasta sauces, watered down soups etc. My surgeon deemed me too skinny for the operation so he didn't wire me shut! Thank God!
• Syringes for feeding and drinking. The hospital will most likely provide you this. A week after surgery and it is still very difficult to drink from a cup without everything splashing all over my shirt so yes the syringes will save your life!

Logisitic wise, Singapore isn't much of a hassle to do your procedure here if you are indeed considering it. I have flown in a number of times earlier for my pre-visits at The Oral Maxillofacial Practise and everything is very smooth. Appointments are always on time. I can take a flight out at 7am from LCCT and be at the clinic at Mt Novena at 10am!.

Paperwork wise, there isn't any special documents required of us Malaysians to do a surgery in Singapore. Just coming in as a visitor will suffice. The Oral Maxillofacial Practise will provide you with necessary documents after your surgery for changing of your passport/IC etc since your face would probably have changed quite a bit!

'T minus 1 day to Surgery!'

So the day I had been looking forward to/dreading had finally come! I was surprisingly calm and slept well the night before. Surgery was scheduled at 4pm and we were told to be at the hospital by 2pm.

 'Mt. Alvernia Hospital - I would end up staying here for 3 nights.'

The Oral Maxillofacial Practise provided me with 2 hospital options. The first being the very expensive Mt Elizabeth Hospital and the other being Mt. Alvernia. In effort to keep the cost below the limit my insurance cover we opted for Mt. Alvernia. 

Choosing your ward also greatly reduces cost. We took a 4 bedder. Unfortunately I had 3 horrible nights at the Hospital due to an elderly man who constantly screamed his head off all night. The nurses were probably fed up too because they paid little attention to him. You are desperately tired after surgery so perhaps a double bed or a single bed if you can afford one is best!

Screaming old man aside, Mt Alvernia is a very nice private hospital. Admission is quick and all you need to provide them with is your IC and credit card details for the deposit. The nurses are also very patient and kind. 

After admission I was taking up to the ward and told to change into the hospital gown. at 3,30 pm it was time to say goodbye to my parents and I was wheeled into the operating theatre. I waited roughly 20 minutes in the room outside the theatre before I met the anesthesiologist who checked my lung x rays and followed me into the operating theatre.

I experienced some memory loss probably a few minutes before surgery as the last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist injecting the anesthesia into my left arm and that's it! I don't remember anything more until I woke up in the ward. I have no recollection of the recovery room where they keep you until you are stable to return to the ward.I have read nightmare stories about waking up in the recovery room so I am glad I don't have any recollection of it!

Lastly for those curious my movements were as below:

Upper jaw advancement – 6mm, impaction – 3mm

Lower jaw setback – 8mm